Supermarket scanner recognizes objects without barcodes

The Object Recognition Scanner designed by Toshiba Tec uses pattern recognition technology to process unmarked items, such as vegetables, at supermarket checkouts.

We recently reported on an innovation from Touchcode which uses invisible scannable tags in place of printed QR codes. Now Toshiba Tec has created the Object Recognition Scanner, which reads items without the use of barcodes. According to the Japanese company, barcodes can sometimes fail to register with scanners in supermarkets, leading to longer waiting times for customers and requiring checkout assistants to enter the code by hand. DigInfo report that the Toshiba Tec scanner, which is still in development, uses alternative technology which scans items based on their appearance, doing away with the need for barcodes altogether. This is particularly useful for fresh produce, where barcodes are often absent. The firm says the device processes items based on color and pattern and is nuanced enough to tell the difference between two types of apples. It can rapidly separate the object from its surroundings and can scan items when they are in motion. Toshiba Tec is currently collating a database of items to ship with the scanner when it becomes available. Retailers, one to get on board with early? Spotted by: Eric Tan